Method and apparatus for pivotally mounting fluid deflection blades

ABSTRACT

In an air flow register, a plurality of deflection blades are channeled at their ends to pivotally receive the ends of opposed pivot pins. A plurality of such pins are secured along an elongated support, which, in turn, is either received within a groove of the register frame or grips the edge of the frame. Assembly of the blades is facilitated by first mounting the blades on opposed pivot pin strips and then mounting the assembly of blades and pivot pin strips in the register.

Q United States Patent 1 1 [111 3,800,688 Parrish [4 1 Apr. 2, 1974 [54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR 2,998,765 9/1961 Spargo 98/110 UX PIVOTALLY MOUNTING FLUID 3,031,945 5/1962 Kelly et al.... 98/110 3,236,171 2/1966 Vaskov et al. .1 98/114 DEFLECTION BLADES 3,648,592 3/1972 Nieboer....... 98/114 X a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 19,337, March 13,

Inventor: Wilbert J. Parrish, Battle Creek,

Mich.

United States Register Company,

Assignee:

Battle Creek, Mich.

Filed-z Oct. 12, 1972 Appl. No.: 296,979

1970, abandoned.

US. Cl 98/107, 98/110, 98/114 Int. Cl F24f 13/14 Field of Search 48/107, 110, 112, 113,

Vcrnct 98/110 Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, .lr.

Assistant Examiner-Peter D. Ferguson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Gary, .luettner, Pigott & Cullinan [57] ABSTRACT In an air flow register, a plurality of deflection blades are channeled at their ends to pivotally receive the ends of opposed pivot pins. A plurality of such pins are secured along an elongated support, which, in turn, is either received within a groove of the register frame or grips the edge of the frame. Assembly of the blades is facilitated by first mounting the blades on opposed pivot pin strips and then mounting the assembly of blades and pivot pin strips in the register.

3 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PIVOTALLY MOUNTING FLUID DEFLECTION BLADES CROSS-REFERENCE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the case of an air register, a duct leading from a.

source of forced air terminates at the register, which is conventionally mounted in the wall of a building. The register, being in fluid communication with the duct, may employ a damper to control the degree of air flow therethrough, as well as a grill having blades or louvers for deflecting the air flow in a specific direction or pattern. v

In many instances, it is desirable to provide means for adjusting the angle of the deflector blades, in order to selectively direct the air flow toward one or more given areas. One manner of providing for such adjustability is to pivotallymount the individual blades at their ends in the register. Heretofore, and as shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, the deflectors have been pivotally mounted by means of individual rods extending through the full length of each blade, with the protruding ends of the rod extending into apertures within respective rearwardly extending walls of the register.

Such structure suffers the disadvantage that is is expensive and difficult to-manufacture. For example, individual apertures must be drilled on both sides of the register in order to accommodate the rods. Also, care must be taken to align the opposed apertures such that the assembled blades will be disposed in a parallel relationship with respect 'to one another, Furthermore, the rods must be individually inserted from the side of the register through one aperture, then through a rod receiving channel running the length of the blade, and then through the opposite aperture at the other side of the structure. Because of the numerous steps involved, assembly is costly and time-consuming. In addition, some register installations do not permit the use of rearwardly extending walls, thereby prohibiting the use of pivoted blades.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Another object of this invention is to provide a fluid I directing apparatus having pivoted blades, wherein the parts required for assembly may be inexpensively I formed and be installed in various types of support structure.

A further object is to provide a simple and rapid method for assembling a plurality of pivoted deflector blades into a register.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and claims, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a partially assembled gaseous fluid directing apparatus, in the form of an air register, constructed in accordance with the prior art.

FIG. 2 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view illustrating a modified frame member and an integral pin carrying strip for supporting the deflector blades or louvers in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a register having a blade pivotally mounted therein in accordance with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating an alternate embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but illustrating yet another embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 show respective top, bottom, and side elevational views of a further embodiment of the pivot pin strip that may be used in connection with the structure shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a cross section taken on line 99 of FIG. 8

pivot pin strip that may be secured along the edge of a support.

FIG. 13 is a front elevation of a register with certain parts omitted or broken away, said register employing the pivot pin strips of FIGS. 10-12.

FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view of a deflector blade on line 14-14 of FIG. 13.

Now,- in order to acquaintthose skilledin the art with the manner of making and using my invention, I shall describe inconjunction with the accompanying drawings certain preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a conventional register over .which the present invention is an improvement, said register being shown in inverted position to facilitate the description thereof. The register 10 comprises a rectangular frame 12 having a central air flow opening or window 15, said window also being rectangular in shape.

Side walls 14, l6, l7 and 18 are secured from the frame 12 around respective sides of the window and extend rearwardly therefrom. Adjacent side wallsare connected to each other to form a box structure that is normally inserted into an opening in a wall of a building for fluid communication with a duct. A plurality of louvers or blades 20 are pivotally mounted in the window 15, each blade comprising an enlarged rib 22 extending along one edge and having a cylindrical bore or channel 50 therethrough (see FIG. 3) extending the full length of said rib.

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 are respective top, end and bottom views of an additional version or embodiment of a Opposed pluralities of apertures 25 are provided along parallel lines in opposed side walls 14 and 16. A rod 24 is inserted completely through the channel 50 of each blade, and the ends of the rod are received in the opposed apertures 25. A removable terminus, such as a nut may be provided at each end of each rod 24 to prevent axial disengagement from the frame. As shown, a plurality of blades are thus mounted in the window in parallel relationship. The rods 24 extending across the window provide a pivotal mounting for each blade, which in turn allows for adjustment of the slot between adjacent blades as well as the angle of deflection of such blades.

It will be appreciated therefore that the blades must be individually assembled by passing the rod through an aperture in oneside wall, then completely through the channel of the blade, and then through the aperture in the opposite wall. Assembly is necessarily time consuming, tedious and costly because of the many. operations involved. Also, the alignment of opposed apertures as well as the spacing between adjacent apertures is critical in assuring proper functioning and appearance of the register.

In the preferred embodiments of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 2-13, a plurality of blades 20 may be mounted as an assembly, in contrast with the individual mounting illustrated in FIG. 1. In accordance with the present invention, the blades are mounted at their ends on opposed short pivot pins, which pins at each side of the register are integral with an elongated strip or support, herein called a pivot pin strip. After the blades have been mounted on the pivot pin strips, the blade and strip assembly is mounted in the register as a unit, thereby greatly facilitating construction and minimizing assembly time. The pins are fixed in the proper spaced relationship, thereby eliminating the need for the drilling of holes in the register walls. Moreover, the opposed pins are automatically aligned by abutmentof the end of the supporting strip with an adjacent wall or edge of the register.

Referring in greater detail to FIG. 2, one preferred embodiment includes a unitary pin strip comprising an elongated support or base 34, generally rectangular in cross-section, and having a plurality of spaced pins projecting from the surface of the base. The pins 30 are parallel to one another, of the same length and equally spaced, with their axes located in a common plane. The pins 30 are each tapered at their free ends to facilitate their insertion into the blade channels 50. The pivot pins strips may be molded from a suitable material such as die cast or extruded metal, or plastic in the form of a phenolic resin, or a thermoplastic resin such as polystyrene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, nylon, or other suitable materials, with the pins 30 being molded or cast integrally with the base 34.

The base 34 of the pivot pin strip is shaped to lie in a complementary three-sided open groove 48 formed in a rearwardly extending wall 42 of the register frame 40, corresponding to wall 16 of the frame 12 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, the frame includes opposite rearwardly extending walls 42 and 44 (corresponding to walls 14 and 16 of the frame 12 of FIG. 1) each of which is formed with a groove 48, the grooves opposing and being parallel to one another and each being adapted for reception of a pivot pin strip as shown in FIG. 2. For the sake of convenience, one of the pin 4 strips is indicated at30-34 and the other at 32-36 in FIG. 3. As shown, the opposed pins 30 and 32 of the respective bases or strips 34 and 36 are first inserted in respective ends of the channel 50 in each blade 20. The channel 50 may be located at one of the longitudinal edges of the blade as shown, or may be formed near the center of the blade. After insertion of the pins in the ends of blades, the respective bases 34 and 36 are inserted into opposed parallel grooves 48 formed in the respective opposed walls 42 and 44 of the support. Preferably, the step of insertion is performed before one of the adjacent walls, such as one of the walls 17 or 18 (FIG. 1) is fixed in position. In this manner, the blade and strip assembly may be slid into the opposed grooves as a unit from one side of the frame. When assembled, the pins 30 of one strip oppose the pins 32 of the other strip, with the axes of all of the pins being located in a common plane. The blades 20 are preferably sufficiently wide so that the ends of the ribs 22 extend to the bases of the opposed pins, thereby preventing excessive lateral freeplay of the blades. Also, contact of 'the pivot pin strip with the end of the blade prevents excessive inward movement of the strip relative to the register frame and hence, prevents accidental dislogement of the strip from the groove 48.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the invention wherein the strip 34a is embraced within or dovetailed into a corresponding groove 48a of the support 42a. For simplicity of description, parts similar to those previously described bear the same reference numeral to which the distinguishing suffix a has been added. Thus, the blades 20a are pivotally mounted at one end on pins 30a, each of the pins 30a being integrally formed as a part of a strip 34a. A similar arrangement (not shown) pivotally supports the other end of the blades. The strip 34a is slidably mounted within the side 42a of the frame 40a. Unlike the previous embodiment, however, the sides 60 and 62 of the base do not extend at right angles with respect to the bottom surface, but rather are slanted and converge inward toward the pins in the form of a trapezoid when viewed in cross-section. The groove 48a has a pair of converg' ing walls that are complementary with the slanting sides 60 and 62 of the base. Thus, the strip 34a is dovetailed into the side wall 48a of the frame; This feature imparts additional stability to the assembly and prevents dislodgment of the strip from the groove, regardless of pressures exerted on the blade 28. The dovetailing of the strip into the groove also eliminates the need for maintaining close tolerances between the width of the window and the length of the blade.

Assembly of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is identical with the assembly shown in FIG. 3. The blades 20a are mounted on corresponding pins of opposed strips, and the blade and strip assembly is inserted into the opposed grooves from one end thereof.

FIG. 5 illustrates yet another embodiment of the invention, wherein the strips 34b are supported in a removable grooved panel which is separate from the side wall 42b of the frame. Parts similar to those previously described bear the same reference numeral to which the suffix b has been added. The blades 20b are supported at one end by pins 30b which are integrally formed with a strip 34b. Unlike the previous embodiments, the strip 34b is received in a groove 74 in a separate panel 70, the panel in turn being supported from the side wall 42b between a pair of notched ears 72 expanel 70. The feature of employing a separate grooved panel is desirable in instances where it may be inconvenient or impractical to form a groove in the opposed side walls of the register structure. It will be appreciated that the groove 74 and the base 34a can be-provided with converging side walls in the same manner as shown in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6-9; illustrate a further embodiment similar to that shown in FIG. 4 but with the addition of features that result in cost savings in the fabrication of the pivot pin strip. Since the cost of a cast or molded part is directly related to the amount of material used therein, it is desirable to eliminate the use of any material that is not essential to the structural qualities of the final product. In connection with the present embodiment, I have found that considerable cost savings may be realized by reducing the dimensions of the pivot pin strip between adjacent pins and by providing recesses beneath the pins.

As shown, the modified pivot pin strip comprises a base or support strip 80 having integrally formed and parallel pivot pins 82 projecting from one surface thereof. The base comprises relatively thick portions 81 directly beneath the pins 82, said thick portions preferablybeing of trapezoid shape in cross section and including opposed side walls 84 and 86 (FIG. 9) converging toward the pins. The support strip 80 further comprises relatively thin strands 88 of equal length connecting the thicker portions, said strands being narrower and thinner than the pin supporting portions 81. As shown in FIG. 7 and 9, additional material savings are realized by providing recesses 90 in the underside of thesupp ort strip 80, particularly in the thicker portions that support the pins 82. The recesses 90 may be slightly converged toward the pin axis in order to assure a substantially uniform wall thickness.

It will be understood that the pivot pin strips shown in FIG. 6-9 are used. and assembled with deflector blades in the same manner as the embodiment shown in FIG. 4. I have found that these modified strips are equivalent to the FIG. 4 strips from a structural viewpoint and yet are more economically constructed because of savings of material.

FIGS. -14 show a further embodiment wherein the strips are constructed and mounted in a different manner from the embodiments previously described. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-9, the strips are mounted within a channel or groove in a support which necessarily extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axes of rotation of the blades, thereby necessitating the specially formed and rearwardly extending walls 14-16, 42-44. In the FIG. 10-14 embodiment means are provided for mounting the deflector blade assembly directly into the front of the window of the frame, without need for rearwardly extending side walls or the strip mounting grooves. In particular, the embodiment includes means for mounting a pivot pin strip directly along the window defining edge of the front face 12 of the register frame, i.e. on a support surface that is parallel to the axes of rotation of the blades.

As shown in FIGS. 10-12, the improved pin strip comprises a composite L-shaped support strip 100 having a pin carrying strip 102 and an integral support strip 104 that is perpendicular to the pin strip. A plurality of equi-spaced pivot pins 106 project at right angles from the pin carrying strip 102 near the free edge thereof. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a groove 108 is provided on the back side of the pin strip 102 (the side opposite the pins 106) at the juncture of the pin and support strips. The top of the groove 108 is coplanar with the underside of the support strip 104 and is of sufficient width to receive a free edge of the register frame 110 (FIG. 11).

When mounted on the frame, the support strip 104 overlies and bears on the front face of the frame 110, with the window defining edge of the frame resting in the groove 108. A plurality of spaced detent lugs or books 112 are provided on the back surface of the pin support strip 102, the purpose of which is to secure the entire strip in position upon installation into the frame. The hooks 112 are in the form of slightly rounded protuberances beneath the groove 108, and each comprises a flat top surface that forms a coplanar extension with the bottom of the groove. The hooks 112 have outer surfaces that taper inward toward the back surface of the pin support strip l02 from the top surface thereof, in order to facilitate assembly, as will be hereinafter described.

The assembled register of the presently described embodiment is shown in FIG. 13. Again, a plurality of blades 118 are provided, each having a substantially cylindrical channel 120 (FIG. 14) at each end thereof adapted to receive corresponding pins 106. As shown in FIG. 13, each blade 118 has a curved profile when viewed in cross-section. The channel 120 may be conveniently formed by crimping or bending one edge of the blade over toward its concave surface. The other edge of the blade is also bent over and flattened as indicated at 122 to provide additional structural rigidity and to prevent exposure of sharp edges.

A plurality of the blades 118 are first assembled on I opposed pin strips 100a and 100b before assembly into the register. The subassembly of blades and pivot pin strips is then inserted into the window of the register frame from the front, such that the tapered sections of the hooks 112 ride over the window-defining edges of the frame 110. The subassembly snaps or locks into position with the opposed edges of the window lying in the respective grooves 108 of the pivot pin strips a and 10%.

When assembled, the blades 118 are each of sufficient width to overlap an adjacent blade in order to provide for the maximum degree of air flow control. Also, the blades are preferably of sufficient length to prevent excessive lateral movement of the subassembly in the window of the frame and further to prevent accidental dislodgment therefrom.

Although the invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, various obvious modifications to the structures shown may be made. For example, the pin strip may be modified to adapt to various types of support structures, and a single pin disposed on a support may be used to support a single blade or part. Further, while the invention has been described in terms of the pivotal mounting of blades, it will be understood that the pivot pin strips herein described are equally adaptable to the mounting of other pivoting parts. Accordingly, it is intended that the in vention cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An article to enable pivotal mounting of a plurality of members relative to the edge of a support, said article comprising a first strip, a plurality of pins projecting from one surface of said strip, a second strip secured along the opposite surface of said first strip transversely thereof, a groove in said first strip at the juncture thereof with the second strip, said groove being proportioned to receive the edge of the support, and an abutment on said opposite surface of said first strip, said abutment having a top surface coplanar with the bottom of said groove and being tapered from said top surface toward said opposite surface of said first strip 2. Means for mounting deflector blades in a fluid flow register comprising an integral molded strip having a plurality of spaced pivot pins projecting therefrom, said strip comprising a generally L-shaped base having a first leg for overlying the front face of an edge surface of the register and 'a second leg, said second leg having spaced detent lugs on the back thereof and juxtaposed to the back of said first leg for engaging the rear face of the edge surface of the register.

3. Means for mounting deflector blades in the outlet opening of an air flow register wherein the outlet is defined by inwardly projecting edges of the frame around said opening, comprising a strip having a plurality of pivot pins projecting from one side thereof, and means defining a groove in the other side of said strip parallel to and facing in the direction opposite said pins adapted to receive the projecting edge of said frame for mounting said strip on said edge, said groove defining means including detent means at the side of the groove adjacent the interior of the register for permitting said strip to be snapped into the register outlet from the front face of the frame. 

1. An article to enable pivotal mounting of a plurality of members relative to the edge of a support, said article comprising a first strip, a plurality of pins projecting from one surface of said strip, a second strip secured along the opposite surface of said first strip transversely thereof, a groove in said first strip at the juncture thereof with the second strip, said groove being proportioned to receive the edge of the support, and an abutment on said opposite surface of said first strip, said abutment having a top surface coplanar with the bottom of said groove and being tapered from said top surface toward said opposite surface of said first strip.
 2. Means for mounting deflector blades in a fluid flow register comprising an integral molded strip having a plurality of spaced pivot pins projecting therefrom, said strip comprising a generally L-shaped base having a first leg for overlying the front face of an edge surface of the register and a second leg, said second leg having spaced detent lugs on the back thereof and juxtaposed to the back of said first leg for engaging the rear face of the edge surface of the register.
 3. Means for mounting deflector blades in the outlet opening of an air flow register wherein the outlet is defined by inwardly projecting edges of the frame around said opening, comprising a strip having a plurality of pivot pins projecting from one side thereof, and means defining a groove in the other side of said strip parallel to and facing in the direction opposite said pins adapted to receive the projecting edge of said frame for mounting said strip on said edge, said groove defining means including detent means at the side of the groove adjacent the interior of the register for permitting said strip to be snapped into the register outlet from the front face of the frame. 